Realization
by darkguardian15
Summary: 500 yrs after the fall of the empire. The riders have been reestablished and it ignores what in my opinion are the sucky parts of book four. It follows the story of a young man whos best friend became a rider three years ago.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I revisted the inheritance cycle a while back and kinda formed a story in my head not gonna lie it kinda ignores some the stuff I wasn't a fan of in inheritance. Disclaimer Don't own it.**

**Fates Domain**

"Mr. Branson, perhaps you care to tell the class exactly how Eragon managed to over through Galbatorix 500 years ago and reestablish the Rider order on Vroengard ?"

"Honestly, professor, I think your first hand account was quite satisfactory for us" I retorted with a smirk across my face.

"A weeks worth of detention for the disrespect, Mr. Branson." She countered her eyes narrowed at me.

"Awww teach, you must really love me to want to spend so much extra time with me" I countered.

"Hardly, Leif, hardly, who could love the son of common gutter whore?" She spat.

"Your daughter for one" I laughed.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" She Screamed.

She lost it, and our entire history class was in stitches of laughter. Their laughter enraged her further.

Bending over and looking me directly in my eye Mrs. Haywood let loose her worse torrent of insults and curses.

"My daughter is a rider, a defender of the land, proper and proud. She wouldn't have time for the likes of you."

"Your daughter is a rider. She became one no thanks to you." I countered.

Suddenly I was there, three years ago while Kirin, nestled her pale golden dragon, Yin, in her arms.

"It should have been you" she whispered regrettably. "All you ever wanted was to protect the innocent. I just wanted to escape."

"Which is precisely why I'm glad she chose you to hatch for. This is your chance to escape. I'll become strong on my own power; rider or not I will wield my blades and defend this town. You get your freedom now."

"Miss are you done with your goodbyes?" asked the rider in crimson armor.

"Aye" she responded weakly.

I turned to the rider and in a swift movement drew my sword and managed to place the tip to his throat.

His dragon growled in anger.

"Take care of her" I threatened darkly. "I'm crazy enough to pull this stunt against a rider in full. I'd take my words seriously"

The man looked calmly at me in the eyes. His face was ragged with dark stubble.

"You are strong warrior, boy. She will be fine."

"Leif, you ok?"

The classroom came swirling back around me in a fog of darkness and color.

"Bitch, finally hit me" I asked.

"Yah," one of my classmates confirmed

"I don't see why you feel the need to fight her like that" another critiqued.

"I never expect anyone to understand" I said ruefully.

I got up and left the classroom. I still found it hard to believe that it had been three years since Kirin left to train amongst the riders. I look at my hands and pictured the Gedwey Ignasia emblazoned upon one of them, the mark of the riders. I needed a change; I needed to start looking for more to life than this small village could offer me.

I looked aimlessly into the sky, felt the gentle breeze against my skin, and for the first time since Kirin left I felt like I had a purpose. I knew what I had to do and it had to start with my final goodbyes. I should have been careful what I wished for.

I went home to find the crimson rider waiting outside of my house. I knew this couldn't be good.

"Hail, rider" I stated in greeting.

"From my memory of our last encounter manners aren't your thing." He replied.

"No, they're not" I acknowledged. "I'm assuming that you didn't come here for a friendly chat."

"Né, no, I came here to invite you" He replied. "Kirin has earned her blade and as what is now custom somebody from the riders old life is the one to present it to them."

So that was it, I was to play the part in giving away her last tie to being an ordinary person.

"Ask her mum then, that bitch'll be thrilled to do it" I responded jadedly.

"I'm asking you to do it because you are her best friend, and with the recent uprising of ghouls and goblins, the journey won't be safe I need someone who can watch their own back as well as others. I've kept my eye on you for all this time, and I know there is more to you than you know. Fate may have given your dreams to another, but perhaps that's because fate has something bigger in store for you. You and I both know that sitting here, in this town won't do anything for you."

"I'll pack" I said bitterly. " but I want a horse, I'm not walking all the way to Ellesmera"

"We aren't going directly to Ellesmera. We are going to Vroengard first" the rider called out.

That lit a fire under my ass.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Meh chapter 2 time don't own please review**

**Riding with the Riders**

My mother died last year so since then it's been just my grandfather and me. She was never right in the head since my dad left and I guess whatever was broken finally ended her. It hurt like hell at the time but my grandfather was really the person who raised me. Goodbye to him was going to bet tough.

" Grandpa," I said timidly as I walked through the door.

"Let me guess, you got kicked out of class again." He said not looking up from his forge.

"Yes but there is more, " I continued.

"You're leaving for an adventure," he said still not being distracted from his work.

"I- but- how- how did you know?" I stammered.

Clank.

He put his hammer down and turned to me. For a while he looked into my eyes, the wrinkles around his eyes told the story of his age.

Finally he spoke "I won't speak ill of my daughter and her choices; I may not approve of them and may hate the consequences they wrought, but they gave me you, the one bright spot to what happened. You are both my grandson and, by the conditions in which you were raised, the son I never had. I've watched grow strong, and wise, watched you stumble and fall, watched all your dreams come crashing down, given to your best friend, and yet you still celebrated as if it was your own accomplishment. And, since that day I've watched you train and train and train; during this time I saw the restlessness develop in you, the very same restlessness that boiled my blood as a young man. I always knew this day would come."

My grandfather gaze continued to pierce through me. I was speechless.

"Where do you plan on going?" he finally asked.

"Vroengard,"I said finally coming to my senses.

Shocked flashed across his face.

"I'm supposed to present Kirin her Rider blade" I finished hurriedly, realizing what he assumed.

"You should be honored,"

"I am. I'm just nervous," I confessed. "The road to Du Weldenvarden will be dangerous, the goblins, cultists, the ghouls, and the rumors. I'm just one swordsman, nothing special, I can't use magic, I can't fight with my mind, I swing sharpened bars of steel."

"You created your own style at 16 years old, and beat more experienced fighters in combat, I call that special. Leif, take your swords, take my mail, and go. Your destiny is out there, I feel it in these old bones"

Full of courage, I went to my room and readied myself, I traded my proper attire, for a white cotton tunic to wear under my mail, a pair black paints that clung loosely to my legs, forming a maze of creases down the legs, a gray shirt, and a flowing black high color cloak I strapped my scabbard to my back. One of my swords rest across the small of my back while the others handle line up with my right shoulder, and on the inside of my coat multiple throwing knives were concealed.

In moment of theatrics I looked into the mirror and undid the strip of cloth that held my hair in a ponytail and let my hair fall to my shoulders. With that moment I left my life behind.

I walked out of my house and saw the red dragon circling the sky, its scales send flecks of red light onto the ground around me, and then it flew off in direction of a large field nearby.

I followed to the field, and found the crimson rider whittling a wood carving of some still indistinguishable shape.

"The coat suits you dual-wielder." He remarked.

"Thanks, " I responded nonchalantly.

"Well I suppose I should formally introduce myself, my name is Murtagh." The crimson rider revealed.

"Noted" I responded. I had expected as much, It wasn't exactly a secret that Morzan's son was the rider that appointed the each new rider a mentor. He was essentially the principle of rider school.

"You seem un impressed," Murtagh teased.

"More just well informed," I countered.

"Good to see that unlike most of the young 'uns now a days you have some capacity for critical thinking. Before we go I'd like to duel you, I need to asses how risky taking you along is going to be. Obviously, the order would like send a small party, with all the commotion going on in the area."

"I understand" I stated. I readied my blades and prepared for combat.

Murtagh laughed. "Let me see those before we begin."

I handed over my swords, a little bit grudgingly. I knew my swords weren't even of the best quality by human standards; they were nothing more than sticks compared to a rider's blade. Still I didn't like people knocking my stuff.

"Knífr" Murtagh spoke. I watched as he ran a red spark down the edges of my sword, and then his own blade. Magic. He had preformed magic in front of me. I was both amazed and intrigued.

He returned my blades to me and immediately attacked. 500 years of being a rider had accelerated his body to super natural abilities. I could barely follow the path of his red blade.

Jumping back I put as much distance between the two of us as possible. I needed to analyze the situation, clearly I was out classed, and there was an unknown spell in effect. Still I could barely keep up with the onslaught.

Murtagh pressed forward, again this time the little preparation I had allowed me to lock blades with him. Here I was at the advantage, he had opted for a shield, my two swords gave me superior leverage to his one sword. It didn't matter how much his strength had been augmented one blade wasn't going to over come my dual wielding. I had take control of the fight while I had him locked up, so I kneed him in the armor plated belly. I doubted it hurt much but simply out of reaction he doubled over. Now was my time to go on the offensive. Each of my swords were in there own separate battles now. While Murtagh barely had time to get his shield up to block my left sword, he was forced to meet my right blade with his blade. I hoped that by forcing him to fight what were essentially two battles I could keep him off balanced enough where his superior strength and speed wouldn't make a difference. Still this method required a lot of energy, energy I couldn't provide for long. One of my strikes to his blade side was half beat slower than it should have been, and the sun reflected into my face as my sword went spinning into the air. My only defense was to create space again so I had to jump back once again. Panting I switched my remaining sword to my right hand and drew a knife for my left. Murtagh looked surprised.

"We're done," he stated. "I'm not about to continue with an unprotected blade."

"What?" I questioned kind of dumbfounded.

"Knífr, means knife in the ancient language, therefore I simply devised a spell to blunt the edges of our blades. I found out along time ago that simply telling the students they are blunt causes them to take the duel less seriously"

"Smart man" I commented at of breath.

"I think the credit of intelligence belongs to you, I highly doubt any mortal or immortal could put up the fight you just did at your age. You read the battle perfectly, and in the end still had an ace up your sleeve. I'm satisfied with your combat abilities"

"Thanks"

"_It appears he bested you,Murtagh"_ A voice rumbled in my mind. It startled me but I knew dragons, and some humans, communicated telepathically.

"I won" the rider protested.

"_The fight maybe, but he far exceeded what you thought he was capable of, he might even be able to defeat the younglings. Even one or two riders in full if they are young enough." _ The red dragon spoke._ "My name is Thorn. Dragon of Murtagh."_

"I am Leif, son of none, you honor me with your words dragon" I responded.

"_You earned the praise, dual wielder, now we must be off to Vroenguard. Arya is waiting to take her pupil, and she has been moody since Eragon went to advise the Broddering King."_


End file.
